Massive Earthquake in Turkey and Syria leaves over 1,000 Dead

 BEIRUT - Search and rescue efforts are underway as the death toll continues after a powerful earthquake hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday. The earthquake and its aftershocks have created a humanitarian crisis in a region that has been wracked by more than a decade of Syrian civil war. More than 1,300 people died, and hundreds of others were injured in Turkey and Syria as a result of the earthquake, the Associated Press reported. Hundreds of houses collapsed in villages across the border area. The epicenter of the earthquake was about 33 kilometers (20 miles) from Gaziantep, according to the United States Geological Survey. It is eighteen kilometers (11 miles) deep. Tremors of magnitude 7.8 earthquake were felt in Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Iraq and Egypt.

Referring to Turkey's disaster and emergency agency, AP reported that at least 284 people have died in seven provinces of Turkey. The agency said 440 people were injured. The death toll in government-held areas in Syria has risen to 237, and more than 630 wounded, AP reported, citing Syrian state media. At least 120 people have been killed in rebel-held areas, according to the White Helmets.

 

In a tweet, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced "our full cooperation with Turkey in the wake of this devastating earthquake... NATO members are now mobilizing their support. "

Footage shared on social media from southern Turkey, and northeastern Syria showed terrifying scenes of families running in rain or snow amid the rubble of collapsed buildings. In Lebanon, the earthquake was so strong that it shook all the buildings.

 

 

 

An earthquake map from USGS displays the location of the quake

In northeastern Syria, the earthquake caused many buildings to collapse. Footage from local media showed families running in the rain and the dark, in fear, amid the rubble of destroyed homes. "Obviously, this situation is hazardous," Raed Saleh, head of the White Helmets Civil Defense group working in northern Syria, told NPR. He said that the incident affected the towns and villages in northern Syria. "All around these houses collapsed, and workers are working on them. All these houses have people under the rubble. All hospitals are full. The situation was horrible. "We can't tell what was damaged or know how many people were killed," he said. He saw three collapsed buildings "with families under the rubble" as he walked to the group's office. Rescue teams assist them as they coordinate larger search and rescue operations. "I'm calling for people to stay out of their homes on the streets because of the damage. It may not be safe for them to stay in their houses because these houses may collapse. But some storms use rain and snow."

Hamid Qutayni, a White Helmets first responder, told NPR that "many families" were trapped under collapsed buildings. He listed how many people died in different cities and towns. "In Sarmada, there were seven dead; Ma'arrat Misrin had two dead; Darkush had three deaths, including one child. In Deres, three children died in the countryside north of Aleppo and the countryside of Idlib. Reports are coming in from all over because the situation is dire."

An earthquake in northern Syria has hit parts devastated by more than a decade of civil war. The war has already destroyed infrastructure in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo. The region is also home to millions of Syrians who have fled fighting in other parts of the country. Many live in refugee camps or basic tent camps set up among the olive groves on the Turkish border.

The Union of Medical and Relief Organization (UOSSM), an organization that provides medical care in rebel-held areas in north-western Syria, said, "currently, our hospital is located in north-western Syria received 91 dead and treated more than 500 people who were seriously injured in the earthquake. Our four hospitals were damaged and evacuated. Others are surprised. Jomah al Qassim, a Syrian living across the border in the Turkish city of Gazientep, works for the Bahar Organization, a charity in Syria and Iraq.

"According to our team in Syria, there are many wounded and damage to houses. Many will die," he told NPR. "That's the last thing people want in Syria. Problem after problem. People are tired."

The United Nations Protection Agency, OCHA, says that of the 4.6 million people living in north-western Syria, about 4.1 million people need humanitarian assistance. More than three million people in the region are food insecure.

 

Individuals comb through the debris of a building that has fallen in Azmarin town, Idlib province, northern Syria, on Monday, February 6, 2023.

Ghaith Alsayed/AP

 

Jomah al Qassim, a Syrian living across the border in the Turkish city of Gazientep, works for the Bahar Organization, a charity in Syria and Iraq.

"According to our team in Syria, there are many wounded and damage to houses. Many will die," he told NPR. "That's the last thing people want in Syria. Problem after problem. People are tired."

The United Nations Protection Agency, OCHA, says that of the 4.6 million people living in north-western Syria, about 4.1 million people need humanitarian assistance. More than three million people in the region are food insecure.

The riots have damaged hospitals in the area. Idlib is outside government-controlled Syrian territory. Airstrikes by the Syrian government air force or those working with Russia on his hospital are frequent. Air raids are so frequent that doctors and aid agencies have set up underground medical facilities to protect them from attack.